Commercial Manager (South Africa)

Location: Remote (South Africa)  

Start date: ASAP 

Type: Permanent (Full-time)  

 Salary: R58 000 - 62 500  (DOE) 

Bring your vision for learning to life where it matters the most

Why this role matters

As our Commercial Manager, you will lead, scale, and optimise our global business development and partnership operations. By driving revenue growth, architecting international sales pipelines, and expanding institutional networks, you directly scale our reach. This commercial expansion provides the resources that allow us to deliver life-changing transformation to students and develop expert field guides who drive real-world biodiversity outcomes.

What you'll be doing

• Global strategy execution: Develop and execute global go-to-market strategies for high-ticket, high-consideration educational travel products across multiple international markets simultaneously, including the UK, US, EU, and South Africa.
• Collateral direction: Direct the strategy, bricefing, and creation of distinct B2B and B2C marketing and business development collateral tailored specifically to academic decision-makers, teenagers, and anxious parents.
• Executive reporting: Present commercial performance, financial forecasts, and growth strategies directly to C-suite executives.
• Itinerary oversight: Oversee the strategic design and briefing of group travel itineraries that successfully balance curriculum-driven academic requirements, high-engagement activities for Gen Z, and strict safety/ROI expectations from parents.
• Contract management: Structure, review, and approve enterprise-level legal contracts and partnership agreements.
• CRM architecture: Oversee the strategic implementation or restructuring of a CRM (like Salesforce) to architect company-wide sales pipelines.
• Conference networking: Strategically leverage major international education conferences (e.g., NAFSA, EAIE, CIS, IC3) to source, negotiate, and secure high-value institutional relationships.
• Performance incentives: Design and implement incentive structures and KPIs that successfully drive team performance.
• Team leadership: Manage, mentor, and scale high-performing business development or partnership teams, while coaching junior and mid-level reps on overcoming complex institutional objections and closing high-value deals.

What you bring to the team

• 8+ years of commercial experience working specifically within the intersection of the travel and education sectors (such as educational travel, youth travel, or study abroad).
• 3+ years of experience directly managing, mentoring, and scaling high-performing business development or partnership teams.
• Proven track record of successfully developing and executing global go-to-market strategies specifically for high-ticket, high-consideration products or services.
• Demonstrated success scaling a commercial operation or partnership network across multiple international markets simultaneously, including the UK, US, EU, and South Africa.
• Experience presenting commercial performance, financial forecasts, and growth strategies directly to C-suite executives.
• Extensive experience in structuring, reviewing, and approving enterprise-level legal contracts.
• Experience overseeing the strategic implementation or restructuring of a CRM (like Salesforce) to architect company-wide sales pipelines.
• Proven capability in designing and implementing incentive structures and KPIs that successfully drive team performance.
• Experience coaching junior and mid-level reps on overcoming complex institutional objections and closing high-value deals.

Bonus if you also have:

• Experience directing the strategy, briefing, and creation of distinct B2B and B2C marketing and business development collateral tailored to academic decision-makers, teenagers, and anxious parents.
• Experience overseeing the strategic design and briefing of group travel itineraries that successfully balance curriculum-driven academic requirements,  high-engagement activities for Gen Z engagement, and parental safety/ROI expectations.
• Experience strategically leveraging major international education conferences (such as NAFSA, EAIE, CIS, IC3) to source, negotiate, and secure high-value institutional relationships.
• Extensive experience selling to a Gen Z audience in the Canadian, South African, UK, and US markets.

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